The Gargoyle: Justin Trudeau says he was “thrown into the deep end” of international meetings

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged Saturday he has been “thrown into the deep end of international summits” and thanked the Australian prime minister for giving him “little nudges” to help navigate the international scene.

Jason Fekete, Ottawa Citizen

Updated: November 28, 2015

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as they wait for a group photo to be taken at the Commonwealths Heads of Government meeting, Friday Nov. 27, 2015 in Valletta, Malta.Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Valletta, MALTA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged Saturday he has been “thrown into the deep end of international summits” and thanked the Australian prime minister for giving him “little nudges” to help navigate the international scene.

Trudeau sat down for a bilateral meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the margins of the Commonwealth summit in Malta, where they discussed trade, security and counter-terrorism, and climate change, among other issues.

The Aussie also gave the Canadian PM a little nudge to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement of Pacific Rim nations that was agreed to by the former Conservative government during the federal election campaign.

The two prime ministers held a breakfast meeting in the Maltese island town of Birkirkara, at the opulent Corinthia Palace hotel.

The two leaders have crossed paths multiple times over the past few weeks since Trudeau took office, first at the G20 summit in Turkey, then at the APEC meeting in the Philippines, and now at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta.

“Thank-you Malcolm. It’s been a pleasure. As everyone knows I was thrown into the deep end of international summits just shortly after being elected. Malcolm, you’ve been extremely helpful in giving me little nudges every now and then as I navigate the global scene,” Trudeau said.

Turnbull has only been Australian prime minister since mid-September (although he’s a longtime politician who also served in the cabinet of former prime minister Tony Abbott), so he’s fairly new to the global leaders’ summits as well.

The Australian PM interjected: “You haven’t needed that. Very modest.”

“No, no, no,” Trudeau continued. “It’s nice to have a friendly face and that happened immediately after we first met. I knew that I could always turn to you in a crowded room and get ‘l’heure juste’ – have a little insight on what was going to happen next.”

Trudeau said both countries are energy exporters with significant natural resources, but will also show leadership on the world stage to demonstrate “you can’t separate what’s good for the economy from what’s good for the environment anymore.”

Earlier in the conversation, Turnbull joked that he wasn’t sure the croissants they were enjoying were “up to Montreal standards.”

He noted the two of them have spent a lot of time together over the past three summits and that Trudeau is “already making a big impact” as the new prime minister.

He said both countries are like-minded nations with several common agendas.

“We have to talk about counter-terrorism, a bigger agenda than ever following the shocking events in Paris about which we’ve both spoken here yesterday with (French) President Francois Hollande,” Turnbull added.

Australia, like Canada, has been participating in the coalition bombing mission in both Syria and Iraq, although Trudeau has promised he will end Canadian participation in the airstrikes and bring CF-18 fighter jets home by March.

“And also of course about the agenda of trade. We’re both part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or we have signed and we are hoping that your new government will ratify. I think that free trade and free markets are the best way to drive jobs, opportunities and investment in an increasingly dynamic global economy.”

The new Canadian government has promised to thoroughly review and scrutinize the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal before deciding whether to ratify it, although Trudeau has noted the Liberals have “resolutely and consistently” been pro-trade.

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